Daniels Restoring Indiana Freedom, One Bill At A Time

After enduring a walkout by Democrats, the Indiana General Assembly got the job done and Gov. Daniels signed "The School Scholarship Act" into law. It may not be perfect, but it's better than letting kids get lost in a system that is a grand failure.



Choice is what makes the world better. Libertarians, everywhere, should be happy when more choices are created.

Daniels is often maligned by forces that claim to love freedom. To those people I say, he just gave back a little bit of freedom back to parents. RINOs usually do not restore freedom, they just don't take it as fast as Democrats do. But they do take it.

Just like signing the bill that strips government funding of Planned Parenthood. He signed it and gave Planned Parenthood the freedom to solicit more private donations. I am sure they don't see it that way, but the taxpayers of Indiana do.

When Will The Butler Bulldogs Get Some Respect?

Q. When does a two-time NCAA finalist stop being a Cinderella Team?

A. When they win it all and shut up the TV fools like Charles Barkley.

To his credit he did give them some props, after they beat the real Cinderella Team that the media wanted in the finals for ratings purposes. But before the game and at halftime, Barkley and some of his colleagues just had to keep harping about how VCU would eventually wear Butler down.

It didn't happen.

It hasn't happened in any tourney game in the last two years.

The only game they lost in the last two was the title game against Duke, only by a basket. That's not wearing anyone down and the entire nation watched that last shot from Hayward fly towards that basket, only to be a hair off the mark.

I can understand last year. It was a magical run. And like everyone else, I figured with Hayward leaving for the NBA, it probably wouldn't happen again. I knew the Bulldogs could send some teams home early in heartbreak, shock, and disillusionment. But that would probably be about it.

To their credit, they didn't listen to me. They have been believers in themselves more than anyone else. When they came back against a very good Florida team, I knew they were for real and have the makings of a potential champion. They are proving to the world that were more than just Hayward last year, they are a TEAM. Like one announcer said last night, Butler is good at playing bad. This means they can play badly and still beat you because they never quit, regardless of how they are playing.

Let me tell you (if you are a basketball fan who is not a UConn fan) why you should be for Butler Monday night:

1. They play the game, the way the game should be played.

They have been playing bigger, stronger, teams that are sometimes very physical. These teams have used their sizes and strength to intimidate the smaller Butler team. Basically they have played thugball, but they lost anyway.

Butler is patient and does not give up even when they are down. They pass the ball, spread the court, and do not allow pressure in the back court to get them rattled. If they make a mistake, they forget about it and keep playing on.

2. They put the student back in student athletes.

These guys are smart, all of them. If you meet one and speak to him, you get some damned intelligent conversation about basketball or anything else they are studying. You do not get jive ebonics, or all glory to God speeches.

93% of the current class of Butler freshmen have a 3.0 HS average or above. 50% has a 3.75 or higher.

The focus at this university is clearly on academics, not big money sports. They play in an old fieldhouse that was once the site of the Indiana championship games is years gone by, you may have seen it if you watched the movie Hoosiers. Their enrollment, including grad students, is around 4600.

Most of these guys will truly go pro in something other than basketball.

Forward Matt Howard (son of a postman) has a 3.88 in Financing. Ten of the players on the roster are from the state of Indiana. Shelvin Mack, a junior, is from Lexington Kentucky and may be the only player who has the skills to turn pro. (I bet UK wishes they would have given this kid a closer look, instead of the yo-yos that came and played the required one year, before going into the NBA.)

So unless you are committed to UConn for some reason or are a racist TV analyst, why would you not pull for Butler?

They do this right. They are building a solid program based on scholarship and athletics is a side act.

Brad Stevens gave up a great marketing job at Eli Lilly to pursue his dream of coaching basketball, starting out as a low paying assistant. They gave him a decent raise to stay last year when others were courting him after last year, but it's nothing like Calhoun, Calipari, and others make.

Stevens may eventually jump ship for more money. Who could blame him? If this thing with Tom Crean doesn't work out at IU, we may see Brad being hired as his replacement, down the road. He could make the big time and still stay in Indiana. But if you look at this realistically, he's making it big time right now.

Crean has NC Center Tyler Zeller's brother, Cody, coming in next year. He is also a 7-footer and there will be no excuses to not be competitive. no one expected miracles out of the Hoosiers after Mike Davis and Kelvin Sampson decimated the entire program. But if Crean cannot get the job done and improve this performance, maybe Stevens can. I can only imagine what Brad could do with a strong 7-footer on this Butler team right now.

Go Dawgs!!!

The Ignorance Factory

When the Progressives lose the argument, they will resort to the most despicable human behaviors. Herman Cain has come up with an appropriate acronym for this phenomenon, SIN.

S=Shift

First they try to shift the subject to something completely unrelated so that their ignorance is not on open display. Like when we talk about how bad Obama's Administration is failing the American people, somehow they try to switch the topic to George Bush.

I=Ignore

If shifting the subject away from the original subject doesn't work them, they will flat out ignore facts. They will discredit them with robotic pat answers given to them by the people who produce the daily talking points.

N=Name call

Once the first two strategies fail, they must resort to the overt demonization of anyone who disagrees with them, to include you or whoever is trying to civilly discuss an issue of great importance.

This only applies the debate process and is light duty compared to the tactics they use, when they lose the argument in a legislative forum. When they lose a floor vote and see that they have failed to persuade enough legislators to vote their way on an issue, they then will resort to even lower tactics like threats and intimidation.

Here is a snippet from the actual letter found at that link and is pretty much the crux of this matter:

In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining,
please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the
goods and services provided by your company.

Another E-Mail communication on display can be found here. The guy that is posting this for public consumption made the astute observation that Milwaukee Area Technical College's (MATC) website and e-mail addresses were being used in an official capacity to punish those who are in in line with the pro-union dogma.

When we take a moment to analyze this, it isn't surprising. MATC has a long history of training skilled laborers who are usually well-equipped to take jobs in the workplace that are traditionally union jobs. The indoctrination starts here at the training center and usually lasts an entire lifetime.

Now, let me make something clear here. It is not my intention to denigrate those who study and graduate from technical schools. In today's high tech world, we need skilled workers to do jobs that require more than just a high school diploma, where shop classes were offered and taken.

Not everyone can grasp the nature of a university level education that offers and requires courses outside a person's chosen major, for the specific purpose of making a person a more well-rounded individual. There is no dishonor in graduating with a two year degree that will lead a person to a job or career that will feed a person's family and put their children through school, so they can attain whatever goals and dreams they may have.

But just as I have problems with a state-funded university indoctrinating students to support Leftist ideology (based on flawed doctrines that have historically failed everywhere they have previously been implemented), I also have problems with tech schools promoting public sector unions and encouraging their students to use union-like tactics to do so. But evidently, MATC has no problem teaching their students to believe wrongly or make utter fools of themselves, in their later lives.

One of the more prominent graduates of this "fine" institution has made her way to government. Remember this women? If not, take a moment and listen to a prominent graduate of MATC in action just a short while back, when the Arizona immigration law debate was in full bore:



My suggestion to the administrators of MATC is that they worry less about political activism and offer some basic courses for people to at least have a functional understanding of what they are trying to talk about, when they open their mouths to speak. It's not that people do not have the right to their own opinions and beliefs. It's not that they do not have the right to use their pocketbooks and wallets as a means of communicating their displeasure with a business and company, for any reason they deem important.

The point is, it is important to know that others have the same right to express their beliefs and to support candidates that reflect those beliefs, without the fear of having threats leveled against them.

But more importantly, how long will the people whose tax dollars go to support institutions like MATC, allow the money to be wasted on political activism, while they fail to educate the students properly? Ignorance needs no factory. It's already there. And it damn sure doesn't need instructors to dumb the students down any further, all they need to do is watch MSNBC or the MSM newscasts.

Advocacy

From Dictionary.Com, here is the definition of the verb, advocate:

-to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He advocated higher salaries for teachers.

The word, by its very definition, suggests there are opposing stances that must be reconciled in some way. This also suggests that there are two interested parties with two different viewpoints, on how to find a solution to a problem.

Many times the relationship of the two parties is not an equal one, meaning one side has power and control while the other side must adhere to the one in authority. The one that must submit will sometimes, seek a more egalitarian approach to the relationship. If the side that has power relents and cedes some of it to the other, it often leads to the desire of the weaker one to obtain more. If this is done enough times, they may eventually seek to completely subvert the one in authority and assert themselves into complete control.

This principle can be applied to many different situations and issues.

Let's look at one issue, which is one being followed closely right now....the standoff at the state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. But first let's look at a little history.

The 2010 Wisconsin Gubernatorial Race was won by the Republican Scott Walker with 52% of the vote, over the Democratic candidate Tom Barrett with 46%. Walker was the Milwaukee County Executive and Barrett is the Mayor of the city of Milwaukee.

I am not well informed on the fine details of this race, because I do not live in Wisconsin. But I do know that the state has historically been a hotbed of progressive ideology due to strong union activity and the influence of University of Wisconsin-Madison. I also know that it is also the home state of an early 20th century progressive leader, Robert LaFollette Sr, who was originally a Republican but later helped form the 1924 version of the Progressive Party.

So it's easy to see why progressivism is deeply embedded into the psyches of many people in this state. In fact, I think it can be safely said that it is a cultural tradition, passed on from generation to generation. For this reason alone, the location is quite symbolic.

Now here comes Scott Walker--campaigning on fiscal responsibility, spending cuts, and mathematical realities. Like many others doing the same thing in other states, he wins the election. Then, he looks at the books he has inherited from an unpopular Democratic governor (Jim Doyle) who was once a teacher and later a trial lawyer. Both professions have a very strong symbiotic affinity for unions. So as you may guess, for the eight years he was in office he let the union write its own ticket.

At one time many years ago, some unions had purpose. They were advocates for people who badly needed them. They were once a necessary entity back when child labor laws were sorely needed, when corporate interests were served by heavy exploitation of workers. Ten year old boys were working in coal mines under dangerous conditions, because the parents couldn't make a living wage otherwise. Families were dependent on their children's incomes so much so that they were compelled to risk their safety, while the corporate fat cats were living well and educating their children.

But now, the unions have become parasites. They only exist to make their leadership rich. They do it by making workers believe that they are not getting their fair share of the pie, and deserve more. They do this in a time when, we have labor laws and minimum wages.

Auto workers and steel workers are but two examples of unions laborers who have secured great wages and benefits over the years. They make living wages better than or equal to some educated professionals. Historically, the UAW and USW are two powerful unions that have used coercion and strong-armed tactics over the years to secure those perks. And they have used the same tactics to usurp much of the authority from management and ownership.

But while these unions are as rough as any Gambino mobster, they do not wreak nearly as much havoc and cause nearly as much damage to our society as the public service unions do. One example is the teachers union. It is directly responsible for the dumbing down of America, it is directly responsible for educating the masses to believe that unions are there for the workers. They have taught multiple generations that without the unions, workers were without advocacy.

The other unions I mentioned are those who fight their battles within the realm of the private sector. The result of their greed and thuggery is pricing American products right out of the market. Why else would the bulk of textiles now come from overseas? Who wants to pay $200 for a pair of jeans and $60 for a tee-shirt to wear with them?

But public service unions like the NEA and the AFT suck their blood directly off of the taxpayers. And when politicians are in bed with these leeches, those unions use classical conditioning to make their members believe that they need union representation to protect them from the greedy taxpayers, many of whom are barely making it in this poor economy. This only serves to create a sense of entitlement among the teachers, they feel as if they are owed this because the union tells them this.

Keep in mind that these are educated professionals, many of them with Masters Degrees. They are not GED forklift operators we are talking about, they are people we have entrusted to educate our children and grandchildren. And they act like we owe them the world.

The bottom line here is simple.

Unions are dying off and the leaderships of these organizations know it. They know that if they make the kind of concessions Gov. Walker and the GOP-led legislature are proposing, they will be weaker than they have already become.

They want the public to believe that it will be grievous for teachers and other public service employees to contribute to their own healthcare and retirement, like we all must do. They want us all to believe that they are the only advocates capable of defending the jobs and reputations, of these civil servants.

But I say they aren't advocating for them at all. Because if they were, they'd be trying to save the jobs of those will most certainly be laid off, if these concessions are not agreed to in this proposal.

The state is broke and headed for a California and Illinois kind of fiscal meltdown, if something doesn't give. The Governor is not trying to bust the union, he is trying to save jobs of people who will not have them next month, or next school year.

If it were me, I would bust them up. Because I do not think union bosses (who produce nothing of any real marketable value) should be getting taxpayer money, for any reason at all. But out of the kindness of Gov. Walker's heart, he is only asking that the benefits be exempt from collective bargaining. They will still be allowed to (ahem) "advocate" for the workers on salaries and wages.

So be ye not deceived here. They are going to lie endlessly to persuade the dumb masses, into believing that they are there for those who cannot (ahem) "advocate" for themselves. But I say, the best advocate for a worker is the worker. If he/she shows up everyday and commits himself/herself to doing a good job for those who sign the paychecks, he/she becomes an asset to the company or whatever entity they work for.

Management has a responsibility too. If they have workers who they see are valuable assets to the organization, it would be wise to work hard to retain those people by keeping them happy. Too many times in a down economy, we hear employers tell workers they should be thankful they have jobs, so get to work and shut up.

Management and labor need each other, so it is wise to have the ability to work towards the best interests of the organization as a whole. When that happens, everyone wins. In tough times, however, all sides must be willing to sacrifice something to maintain stability and solvency.

In the case of the Wisconsin public service unions, they are not advocating anything of the sort. They would rather see jobs lost, they would rather have taxes raised on the private sector citizens, than give one little inch for the greater good of the citizenry.

The Prozac Principle

Normally, even if only for a few hours, graduates should be able to feel uplifted, optimistic, and full of hope at their commencement ceremony. But not all people feel the way I do:



Word has it that three people were hospitalized for attempting to hang themselves with their tassels, and mental health intake units were packed for the rest of the weekend.

Reverend Brother (and newly honorary Doctor) Al Gore evidently thinks it's okay to depress the hell out of these kids. The poor people are already in the middle of great angst, bordering on panic now that they must grow up and get jobs. The job market stinks and they are so far into debt from student loans and government spending.

Why not torture them? Why not make them feel suicidal? Let's just pile sorrow upon sorrow.

But in all fairness, it was the Faculty and Administration who booked this idiot.... and honored him with a University of Tennessee Honorary Doctorate. If they have any misgivings at all, it's now on them.

I even bet most of the students danced with glee, when they heard they would get to see the (ahem) "father of the environmental movement". I am sure, they even had a party to celebrate. But what they all got was the first hand experience of hearing the ravings of a real live false prophet (and the embarrassment that comes with it).

Out Of Focus

The Alabama professor being charged with Capital Murder (for the shooting deaths of her peers) seems to be painting an odd picture of herself.

The Alabama university professor charged with fatally shooting three colleagues is remorseful but does not recall the shooting, her defense attorney said Friday.

So let me see if I can get this one right: I am sorry that I shot those people, who I do not remember shooting. Does that sum it up?

Just asking.

But more importantly, I cannot get over the irony of people saying: She seemed so very normal -- never did we think she was even slightly capable of this. She gave us no indication at all.

We find that an incompetent or corrupt group of law enforcement officials screwed up a case against her, for killing her brother. We learn of allegations of a bomb sent to Harvard. And if that wasn't enough, we learn that she assaulted a waitress over a booster seat.

We are educated, we are enlightened and intellectual beings...far above so many of the peasants and plebeians who do not understand our special powers of wisdom.

But honestly, we never knew. We never made the connection.

We did not see a thing.

An Apple For The Teacher?

Or more like a headache?

I have met and come to know many public school teachers throughout my life. Many of my relatives on my mother's side of the family chose teaching and law as their careers. Mustang, a good blog friend and personal friend, also spent years teaching students in government schools in addition to his many years of military service.

The stories they tell are sometimes near unbelievable.

Here is an interesting article from the Indy Star about being a dean in an inner-city school.

Michael Robinson held up his hand and asked the speed-talking Manual High School student standing before him to hold on for a few seconds.

Then he bowed his head.

Give me the strength to change what I can and the patience to accept what I cannot," he said. "Amen."

He then looked up, sighed and smiled.

"How can I help you?"

The student, a freshman named Dakota, spent the next few minutes complaining in rapid-fire fashion about a teacher who had confiscated her hoodie. Along the way, she denied she had been smoking, despite the heavy cigarette odor surrounding her, and talked conspiratorially about a teacher who is "out to get me."

This is how it starts, this is pretty much how it ends. Only the names have been changed in this fast ride and glimpse through the world of a public school educator.

I will be surprised if someone doesn't complain about the dean praying on school property. But maybe if the secular progressives (who are so against a school mentioning anything that remotely sounds like a Judeo-Christian deity) were to sit in the seats of one of these people, they might soon be found at the nearest church..... seeking some kind of spiritual awakening.

Point is, they don't have it too easy and this article is only about one. There are so many others who deal with this kind of a day, everyday.

Give this a read, when you get a moment.

Between The Sublime And Overt

If you wonder where all your tax dollars are going in the public school systems, here is one shining example. Take a look at this video:



Folks, if this doesn't stop, it's all downhill. There has to be a point where we decide what we are going to be willing to tolerate.

You cannot mention God in classes, but you can deify a human being. You may think it's just a song, but it's a formal attempt at indoctrination and it's not subliminal.

More Random Thoughts

I am trying to get some posts together to share. But until I can finish them, I want to recommend something for my readers to read, and if you desire, comment on. It's located at Mustang's Social Sense and I have left my comment there, so as not to hijack his thread.

The subject is China and it contains some things we all should be thinking about, when formulating some semblance of a policy.


******************************


Another thing I'd like to bring up is a question he and I have been discussing offline, via telecommunication devices:

The subject arose during the campaign. It involved McCain's class standing at the Naval Academy. It seems he ranked on the low end of the totem pole and the question becomes the efficacy of a person in a vital profession, whereby the margin of error can be costly to human life.

Military leaders, medical personnel, public safety people all must meet standards that have been set by a collaborative effort of a given profession's leaders (and in some cases government) just to qualify to study the science of such. I'd like to believe that out of the many people that apply for appointments to the academies, medical and nursing schools, and others that rank high in the public interest, the ones that were chosen were the cream of the crop.

My contention is simple. Despite the fact someone graduated last in his or her class, it should have no bearing on their ability to effectively performing their job, according to acceptable standards set by society's reasonable expectations. They may have been last, but they made it. In all classes, there are those who didn't. In addition, there are those that do well in the theory portion of the curriculum, do not always translate to a competent...whatever.

So, what do you think?

Working For What?

By now, most of us have heard the exchange between Barack Obama and the now famous plumber in Ohio.

You can hear it with your own ears here:

"Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" the plumber asked, complaining that he was being taxed "more and more for fulfilling the American dream."

"It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success too," Obama responded. "My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody ... I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

Yeah, it's good for everyone that didn't work their asses off for it. It's good for the drug dealer that supplements his income with a government check. It's good for the lazy people that feign disabilities, like major depression, so they lay around, feeling sorry for themselves. It's great for the people that have made a life of not doing a damned thing for themselves, or anyone else.

It's not good for the person that works 15 hours a day in his/her business to make it succeed, so he/she can stay solvent and not need public assistance. It's not good for the person that studied hard, received a degree, and is now working in an honorable profession to make the world a better place. It's certainly not good for me.

If people behind me want to get ahead of me, I have a few suggestions that will ensure their future success.

Take yourselves back to school, get a degree or professional certification, and get a job that will pay you a living wage. If you are disillusioned with the corporate world, there are scores of jobs that will fill your need to contribute to our society in an altruistic manner. One career you might want to consider is the healthcare field.

Here is but one area that (unless you are thoroughly incompetent and kill someone through negligence) YOU WILL ALWAYS have a job:

Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 23 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will be driven by technological advances in patient care, which permit a greater number of health problems to be treated, and by an increasing emphasis on preventive care. In addition, the number of older people, who are much more likely than younger people to need nursing care, is projected to grow rapidly.

Another reason to consider this is, the average age of registered nurses.

The aging of the RN workforce in the United States has continued. As of 2004, the average age of the total RN population (including those who are retired and not employed in nursing) was estimated to be 46.8 years. This is the highest average age since the inception of the survey, more than 1 year older than the average age estimated in 2000 (45.2 years) and more than 2 years older than the average age estimate in 1996 (44.3 years).

46.8 in 2004, and it's only getting older. And it only takes a two-year Associates Degree to get started as a RN, one year for LPNs.

Nursing not your thing? There are Radiology Technicians Technologists, Physical Therapists, Respiratory Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and so on. If the medical profession does not interest you, here are some others that will increase in demand in coming years.

Bottom line here, there is no excuse to not get a job and wasting your entire life waiting on government to take care of you. None at all. And if you think Barack Obama's plan to tax corporations and businesses more will allow you to laze around and be successful at doing nothing, you are sadly mistaken.

Barack Obama cares nothing about you, only your vote. Once he has that, he has free reign to do whatever he wants and that my dear readers is to keep you poor, so he will use your poverty to get him re-elected. You can trust him to redistribute wealth, he said he would and I believe him. But you cannot trust him to give YOU any of it.

Think twice before you pull that lever for him. Take charge of your own affairs and forget about government assistance as a way of life. Stop falling for the lies of the Marxists that want to turn this great nation into a nanny state, not unlike the failed empire of the Soviet Union.

Media Survivalists: The Marketing Of Words And Personality

If you haven't had an opportunity to read Ramesh Ponnuru's essay in Time Magazine, centered on the media's love affair with Barack Obama, I recommend doing so and soon. He makes some interesting points worthy of some serious consideration, on the reasons the media is so biased.

But I want to break it down a bit further, if I might. We'll start with this snippet:

Why are the media so smitten with Obama? Journalists have an affinity for the Democratic nominee in part because he is a wordsmith and they make a living manipulating words and symbols, so they have a special appreciation for his gifts.

Maybe it's because attorneys love words. Attorneys seem to gravitate towards the Democratic party for a host reasons, not the least of them (like the author says), Democrats love words.

Words are part of our life, we use them to communicate. We use them to persuade and to convince. The attorney's main objective is to win an argument, usually and presumably with some good evidence. And when there is little or no evidence, they must use words to make compelling cases. If they win their cases, they get paid.

The media uses words to support their claims too. This similarity certainly stands out like a NASCAR fan in a European coffee house, but there is one stark difference that I would point out in the context of this argument: Attorneys, for the most part, make their cases to judges and juries. Unless they are in a high profile case that some hotshot wants to try his case in the media beforehand (for advertising purposes), the arguments are confined to courts and conference rooms used for depositions.

By contrast, the media takes its cases directly to the people. They make their money by selling periodicals and in the case of electronic media, high ratings. The more magazines and newspapers being sold, the more people watching news commentary shows, the more money the media makes.

Enter teachers and professors, the backbone of the education community. They make their living using words too. They must come up with persuasive words using innovation and creativity to teach kids and adults. They, too, are attracted by the Democratic party. They, too, have an affinity for the media when it reflects their ideological positions. These are positions that are usually in direct conflict with the conservatives' philosophical belief systems. Naturally, they will gravitate to those that share their views.

Teachers may not make more money, but professors do. They sell their books and many command some hefty speaking fees when able to effectively articulate their ideas unchallenged in a contradictory forum.

All three of these professions are highly dependent on words. All three are better explained and can be found, in this piece at the website of The Heritage Foundation.

But let's move on, shall we. There is one other reason Ponnuru has pointed out here, one that most people are already aware of:

But another part of the reason is, yes, plain old liberal bias. McCain was a press darling when he was a maverick dissenting from the Republican Party from points left. Obama has become one by succeeding as a down-the-line liberal. When McCain decided this time around to court conservative Republican voters as much as liberal reporters, the coverage of him became more critical. Notice a pattern?

I do notice a pattern here. I also notice another pattern.

Media sales of companies that show an open liberal bias are down. Let's look at Time-Warner as an example. TW stocks were $19.25 a share in September, of last year. In March of this year, they were as low as $13.91. Today they closed at up a little, at $14.40. March is right about the time Time realized the path was leading to self-destruction and began to do a better job of fair coverage. They still have their liberal pundits, but they are printing more articles like the one I am citing for this post. As a result, sales are up somewhat but certainly nothing to write home about.

In November of last year, Newsweek's parent company The Washington Post Company stock was at $857.92 a share. By June of this year, it was down to $559. Today, it closed at $607. WaPo has been hurt by declining circulation and it's subsidiary Newsweek has remained stagnant, which in economic terms can be considered a decrease when you factor in the growth of the rest of the economy.

Some of the circulation woes can be attributed to the shift from print media to the internet, but that doesn't take into account the drop in ad revenues. This is what fuels the stock prices and with stocks down, it's hard to give much too much credence to this switch in mediums.

But there's one last reason Ramesh highlights as a partial plausible explanation for this massive public perception of media bias:

Obama is on more magazine covers in part, they note, because those issues sell better than McCain covers. McCain is a familiar figure who has been involved in presidential politics for nearly a decade, while Obama's rapid rise--from state senator to presidential nominee in four years--is part of what makes him a compelling story.

Part of this is BS and the other part is true. There has to be an impact with such a rising personality coming out of seemingly nowhere only to wrest the nomination from a Clinton machine that at one time was as close to Obama status, as anyone else has ever been before. People are bound to buy more periodicals that feature this shooting star, whom they do not know. But much of this is fueled by the periodicals, themselves.

Let's consider who is buying. I would be interested to know how the demographics break down in regard to sales. Obama has a younger following than McCain. His supporters appear to be based in the academic scene, made up mostly of students. They have more expendable income, so they could be the ones that are keeping the news weeklies from crashing. In other words, they have a target audience that is fanatical about Obama that translates into a cash cow.

In the end, there's not much any of us can do, except watch how we spend our dollars. We can only hope that thinking people will carefully consider giving some quality thought to what I am saying here and ask themselves - who would they rather trust to minimize the damage caused by government? I say this because neither of these people are what I think we need. Clearly, one of them is certainly better suited to lead this nation than the other. But, I have no delusions that either of them is a panacea for what ails us. Only the people that must bear the brunt of the load can pull us out of it, by demanding better leaders at all levels.

More importantly, I hope that thinking people do not allow themselves to get caught up into the desperate sales campaign that is going on, while the real campaign gets overlooked.

The State Of Education And The ICLU's Newest Protected Class

Many times schools do not meet standards and need some corrective action. One of those actions can include adding school days to the calendar to catch students up in areas where they are deficient. John Marshall High School and three others are in this category, locally.

Last Monday was the first day of the new school year. It is estimated that 800 kids will be in attendance this year, but as of Monday only 400 were enrolled and only 300 actually showed up.

Enter Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs and his solution to the problem:

Parents of truant John Marshall High School students will find it difficult to collect financial aid from the Lawrence Township trustee's office if their kids don't get to class.

Trustee Mike Hobbs said he would stall poor relief payments to guardians of children who are supposed to be attending John Marshall's early-start school year, but aren't.

By Wednesday morning, he had put holds on two such cases.

With no magical solution to this problem, one man decided he would try something drastic. Amazingly, there has been some improvement in attendance by the week's end.

But this is not where the story ends. According to a local radio talk show host that usually gets good information out on the reporting trail, the Indiana Civil Liberties Union has threatened legal action against Hobbs if he makes good on his promise.

We already have protected classes galore, in this country. But now, we have Indiana's version of the ACLU calling the poor a protected class. But somehow in all of this, I just cannot help but think the ICLU has missed the point here.

If we are ever to have any hope for children to get out of that sense of hopelessness/despair that our liberal friends say causes so many problems (to include crime), getting their asses into the classroom has to be the beginning of such an undertaking.

This alone will not be the only component to solving this problem, but it has to start somewhere. And while many of the schools are on the wrong path to educating our children, attendance is not the responsibility of the schools. It is the responsibility of the parents to make sure their kids are where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there. And if parents disagree with the way schools are educating their kids, one must ask: How many school board meetings they have attended and what kind of school board members have they voted for in the past?

In the end, No Child Left Behind may turn out to be a dismal failure. From what I have seen so far, it hasn't been overly successful so far. But this isn't too surprising when you consider, nothing that comes from the federal government has ever been shown to be very effective. Certainly, this program is no different. If we want to trace the current set of problems in the schools today, just go back to the creation of the Department of Education and work your way forward. Do the math and you will see.

Still, this is no excuse for not attending. True, there may be little hope for Johnny getting a quality education and getting out of the cycle of poverty, as it stands now. But that hope index drops to zero if he is at home, sleeping in until noon, playing video games and watching Jerry Springer on TV.

IUPUI's Affirmative Action Office Out Of Control

Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis is located in the heart of Indy, just outside of downtown.

Recently, there was a flap over a man working for and attending IUPUI for reading a book (on his break in a breakroom) entitled, Notre Dame vs. The Klan: How The Fighting Irish Defeated The Ku Klux Klan. What followed was something totally outrageous and another fine example of how this racial card is be played at every drop of a hat.

Much of it is explained in this WSJ Op-Ed piece.

The story began prosaically enough. Keith Sampson, a student employee on the janitorial staff earning his way toward a degree, was in the habit of reading during work breaks. Last October he was immersed in "Notre Dame Vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan."

Mr. Sampson was in short order visited by his union representative, who informed him he must not bring this book to the break room, and that he could be fired. Taking the book to the campus, Mr. Sampson says he was told, was "like bringing pornography to work." That it was a history of the battle students waged against the Klan in the 1920s in no way impressed the union rep.

The assistant affirmative action officer who next summoned the student was similarly unimpressed. Indeed she was, Mr. Sampson says, irate at his explanation that he was, after all, reading a scholarly book. "The Klan still rules Indiana," Marguerite Watkins told him – didn't he know that? Mr. Sampson, by now dazed, pointed out that this book was carried in the university library. Yes, she retorted, you can get Klan propaganda in the library.

As anyone can plainly assess from this synopsis of the situation, there are many out of control elements at this and other universities across this nation. Here, we have a book that explains how the Klan's influence was significantly diminished at one prestigious university and we have a group of paranoid race-baiters at another university, making an illogical determination that this book is offensive. (Maybe the Klan would find this offensive too, because they came up on the short end of the stick in this one.)

How can anyone learn the Klan's thinking is wrong, except they read about it in an academic setting? How can anyone learn that power can be stripped from hate organizations like the Klan, except they read about one example where it was? How can there be any inspiration to do such a thing, except a story be told?

Never mind this book was found in the university library, this book was deemed offensive by those with a union mentality and an official complaint was lodged at the request of some ignorant being. From there, some radical "chip on her shoulder" university Affirmative Action Officer gets involved and proceeds to demonstrate that some people have no business in positions of authority and influence.

But here's a twist, found later in the WSJ piece. The ICLU (Indiana's version of the ACLU) eventually did something uncharacteristic. They got involved on the side of Mr. Sampson.

The result was, frankly, surprising to me and many other cynics in this area. It seems the chancellor has officially apologized to Mr. Sampson. Here is the PDF version of the letter, Sampson received.

But in my opinion, this is not enough. If I had any say whatsoever, the union leadership and entire Affirmative Action Office at IUPUI would be re-educated. Additionally, I would require both AAO officials that took this overzealous and ill-conceived action to meet personally with and officially apologize to Keith Sampson as part of (and in front of) an open forum open to all students. If they refused, I would fire them.

How these idiots ever got a degree, is beyond me. But that's another post.




Addendum:

Upon further investigation, it appears that AAO Director Lillian Charleston has retired in the time since this case played out. For her bio, take a quick peek here. Note that her studies were centered in Urban Studies, where much of this kind of thinking is taught and glorified.

The Functional Identity Crisis Of America?

If you haven't guessed by now, my favorite essayist on the internet today is Victor Davis Hanson. It's not because his essays help me post something on days that otherwise would be slow or days that I am extra busy.

Believe me, he does make it easy for me when those things happen. But the real reason I like him, he makes so much damned sense.

His latest hits the nail right on the head again. It should cause our elected leaders, as well as those the vote for them, to think about the direction America has taken and appears to be headed again in this election cycle. Granted, not many will read his wisdom and if they do, they will not heed his advice. But know this, their lack of interest in what he has to say does not mean his words are any less true.

Commencement Speeches We Need To Hear

Those who have read this blog for any period of time, know that every year at this time, I publish a link to Neal Boortz's famous commencement speech that no one will ever hear. If you haven't read it, you can read it here.

Graduation time is now upon us, a whole new crop of grads are about to face the real world. And although the Boortz speech is not new, it is still applicable to today's graduation ceremonies.

But this year, we have a newer and more up-to-date commencement speech, that we all need to hear.

From the LAT comes a new speech written by PJ O'Rourke that needs to be delivered, but in all likelihood won't. If you found the Boortz speech to be accurate and enlightening, you'll love this one too. Give it a read.

Recommended Reading

To get some understanding about how many feel about the race card, I recommend reading Mustang's latest post.

I know of many people (black and white) that recognize it, when it's being played. Blacks that have worked hard to teach their children certain moral lessons are especially appalled, when they read how someone effectively used it to escape consequences. Equally, they are usually dismayed by the victim mentality that is promoted by the lucrative race-baiting industry, especially after they have worked so hard to achieve success (independent of government assistance, brought on by white-guilt).

I once knew of a dean of boys (high school) that was harder on black kids, than he ever was on the white kids. I pitied the black kid that tried to gain special favor from him, simply because they were of the same race. They got to hear a long lecture, mostly on how the white man didn't give him a thing and not to expect them to get anything, either. His thinking was such a simple thing. Once you earn something (i.e. education), it's yours to keep and no one can take it from you.

Saying Goodbye To An Educator

A blip came up on the "relevant story" radar screen last week. An educator retired. He is as legendary and complex, as he is enigmatic. He is a man that has worn many hats.

They say timing is everything, especially in the world of public relations. With the Super Bowl and the election process in full swing, there may be a few people that missed it; and this is probably how the subject of this story wanted it, quiet and subtle, with as little fanfare as possible. He did not want to create an emotional storyline or endure some sentimental farewell tour, while there were hotter topics to talk about. He just wanted to slip away, on his terms and at a time of his choosing.

If you do not recognize the name of this teacher, you do not know much about basketball. If so, you have missed a lot.

His household name is Bobby Knight, the winningest Division I Men's Basketball coach in history. And if that was his only successful role in life, he still would be envied by many. But the complex man known in Bloomington and Lubbock was more.

Most of the country didn't see what we were able to see. But even in Indiana, he had his detractors. They loved him or they hated him. But he sold tickets, his teams played hard for him. Three of them played so damned hard, they got to cut down nets after the last game of the season. Not unlike political figures, this man was either demonized or deified. It all depended who you were talking to.

When it came to coaching basketball, there was none like him (before or after). They certainly broke that mold, when they made him. He was a revolutionary, both offensively and defensively. His real love (that is to say, where he placed his greatest emphasis) was defense. His philosophy was simple, if you play hard-nosed defense and take away your opponent's ability to get the shots they want, you can still have an off night shooting, and still win the game.

When the legendary Coach John Wooden was winning his titles at UCLA in the 60s and 70s, college played zone defense. There were some real tough zones, mind you. But Wooden's teams were exceptional at it. This is one reason why he brought man-to-man to college ball. I suspect he knew, the only way to beat a team like UCLA was to beat them with man-to-man. For years, he only played man-to-man. But in his later years, he relented and alternated the two.

Offensively, he taught patience. Passing was every bit as important as shooting. He brought the motion offense that has become common in many successful programs, to a new level. His offenses did not run and gun, the only time they were allowed to take the ball to the hoop was when you had no one in front of you. And, there was no rest for those that tried and didn't make it. He wanted discipline, perseverance, and diligence. He didn't want to see a lot of hot dogging. Sometimes I think he inspired Nike to write the slogan, "just do it". That was the bottom line with him.

But it doesn't end there. He was also a humanitarian.

He raised money, gave money, and helped people that needed help. In fact, he still does. He does his best work behind the scenes, where he likes it to be done. He isn't in the habit of doing good things, simply for positive publicity. He doesn't do things against the rules, there's no funny business with his players. But after they graduate, he has helped many along the way. They are no longer his players, they are his friends.

One must take special note that Knight doesn't just give money, he gives his time too. Money you can get back, time you cannot. This is a far more important entity to him.

One incident that I can recall fairly accurately (off the top of my head) is the incident that got buried in the sports sections around the country. I read about it in a few short paragraphs deeply embedded in Reader's Digest (where readers submit their stories).

The reader sent in (and they published) the story of how Knight came upon a big wreck after Indiana had won the title in 87, on I-10 outside New Orleans. He saw that the man was wanting to go to the hospital with his wife, but did not want to leave the wrecked car at the mercy of looters. The husband looked up at some man directing traffic, taking charge of the scene, and instantly recognized him. In awe, he looked at this towering guy with gray hair and said, "You're Bob Knight".

Knight replied, "yes, but that's not important now". He then sent the husband to the hospital in the ambulance with his wife, while he stayed at the scene until the wrecker came. When the husband told his wife the story, she gave him permission to throw all of the chairs he wanted to.

If you watch him enough, you'll find that he can be a comedian sometimes. He's a very funny guy, when he wants to be. Here is his first interview, since announcing his retirement:



You will likely note that a sports media personality was not among the first to get a crack at him. He had a very stormy relationship with the press. And the truth be told, it was definitely to his detriment. When the firing came from IU, it was his combative relationship with them that tipped the scale against retention.

Here is one instance where, as frustrated as he was, he was able to entertain his way out (instead of walking out):



Laugh if you will, it's where I learned to read a crystal ball.

But let's be clear here, not all encounters went this smooth.

But in spite of his nasty temper, he was able to convince parents to send their kids to play for him. Interestingly enough, those same kids were fully aware what this man was like and about, They knew it going in, and yet, they still elected to play for him. So, I have very little compassion for those that knew this, decided to play for him, and then whined about how mean he was afterward.

He demanded class attendance and making good grades, long before it was required to have a "C" average and fashionable to call them "student" athletes. He had the highest graduation rate of any in his profession. Needless to say, these young men he taught to play a kid's game, were taught more about life than anything else. At least that's what the bulk of his players will tell you.

Just having 4 years of Indiana basketball on a resume told a prospective employer, something important about the applicant: This person could probably withstand more pressure than the employer could dish out, on his/her worst day. This was just as true for benchwarmers, as it was starters (maybe even more so).

In the end, the game he loved so well has surely passed him up. Being the purist he is, it's hard for him to coach the kids of today, as they are surely different. He doesn't like the one year rule, before turning pro. Not only that, many coaches have adjusted to his style. In fact, they even mimic it against his team, because it's a very effective strategy. This year when you watch a tournament game or two, be sure to watch the style of the offenses. Be sure to watch the ball movement and the pump fake passes that throw a zone off balance. Be sure to watch the pressure man-to-man defense of the teams that go deep into the tournament.If you do, you will see what he brought to the game.

His time is over in coaching at the NCAA level. But I cannot imagine that he will be able to stay away from the game, for too long. If nothing else, you'll see him teaching his grandchildren to shoot, dribble, pass, and yes, play high pressure defense. I also think he'll teach lessons about life to whoever will listen. And you can bet he will not stop doing good when it is in the power of his hand to do so.

Until then, PYY wishes him a long healthy retirement. He's earned it.

One more soundbite as he rides off into the sunset, ESPN's Top Ten Soundbites from Coach Robert Montgomery Knight:



Stay in touch coach and wave when you see us.

1+1=?

For an amusing look at the evolution (or devolution, if you will) of education in the United States, take a look at this recent post from Mustang at Social Sense.

Read it and see why our test scores in math are far behind many developed nations of the world.

A PYY Sentimental Moment

Call me a softy, call me sentimental. I have a way of remembering momentous events in my life that played a significant role in shaping who I am. Today, I am a husband, a father, a grandfather, but at one time in my life, I was a soldier. It was at this time in my life over 30 years ago that I was locked into an initiation process, second only to the Marine course in rigor and intensity.

I had all Vietnam drill sergeants, each with a chest full of medals to show for it; none of them had any difficulty remembering to remind us, we had all volunteered for this program. I went in after about seven months of being eighteen, not long after the draft had been scrapped post-Nam. I was the first of the "All-Volunteer Army".

I did this willingly for both honorable and selfish reasons. Having been raised by an Air Force retiree that served in both Korea and Vietnam, I knew what could have happened had I turned eighteen a bit sooner. But I was instilled with a value that says a man serves his country. And if he does it honorably, his country will serve him.

Which brings me to the selfish reasons.

I got to see things that so many people will only see in pictures. I got to live and work in Europe. I was able to lay down on the ground one night many years ago in a piece of forestland outside Aschaffenburg and think about how knights had once passed through this stretch of territory, on their way to the palace that was still being restored from the war.

I stood where the John Paul II stood, a year after I was there.

I drank beer (and ate schnitzel) with the elite beer connoisseurs of the world. (And I did it at the Oktoberfest at Wiesns, not Garfield Park.)

To be in Spain immediately post-Franco and see the Spanish people awake from their slumber under fascism, was absolutely priceless.

To sleep in a farmer's barn, drink fresh-milked milk from a cow, sip homemade wine with him and his family was unforgettable.

But to get there, I had to go past this guy. No, it wasn't this particular guy (R. Lee Ermey from the movies, Full Metal Jacket and The Boys In Company C). He was a Marine and the only reason I wasn't one was simple: The Marines ran three miles a day and the Army ran two.

But, I had many just like him: hard, disciplined, and fair. We were all treated equally, we were all scumbags. There was no scumbag better than the other. But beyond all of the facades, they cared about us, they wanted to help us stay alive, if the balloon ever went up. They had to train us to become soldiers, and train they did.

The Drill Sergeant was a true friend to his/her trainees, much more than we would have ever believed at the time. We got three meals a day, free. We got housing, free. We got clothing, again, free. We were taken care of from reveille to taps. We were safe. And we were taught to pay attention to detail, something that I have always tried to do my entire life.

Sure, I have failed at times, but they also taught me that failure is only positive feedback. It tells us something is wrong and gives us the opportunity to adjust and correct. It can't get any more positive than that, can it?

Many may deem I am wrong, but I believe differently. These guys put me on a path to self-reliance and gave me skills that have lasted a lifetime. My Drill Sergeants were two men I will never forget. Drill Sergeants Lewis and Duncan. I can still see their faces. People have come and gone, some I cannot remember. But for eight long weeks these men were my world, they squared me away.

So please, take a look at what I signed a contract for, at least for the first eight weeks. If you went through this, take a stroll down memory lane with me. If you didn't, take a look at what you missed. Here is why I get so sentimental this time of year:

WARNING: VERY STRONG LANGUAGE. Not safe for work or around kids.








NOTE - The first half of FMJ was devoted to Basic Recruit Training. In my opinion, it was the movie, you can keep the rest. Keep in mind that this was Hollywood (and Kubrick, at that). Some of this is slightly embellished, but not overly so. I saw no one get hit or choked. They shook us once in a while. (They only shook me once, and I got the point he was making and for the rest of my life.)

I have to say, it's one of the more accurate depictions of Basic Training I have seen. In fact, Kubrick allowed Ermey (a former DI) to ad lib a lot of his lines in the movie, it's very realistic.

High School Administrator Orders Black Males To Sit In Front Of Classes

From the Beaumont Enterprise comes this story about the Ozen High School Assistant Principal's e-mail directive.

Assistant Principal Elvena Colbert sent out an e-mail stating that all black male students were to sit on the front row in classrooms.

I guess this caused some confusion and outrage, because the Principal has since overridden the order. But before anyone jumps the gun and cries racism, it is important to note something in this. The AP's name is Elvena Colbert and she is black.

So, Al Sharpton can unpack his bags and Jesse Jackson has no need to clear his schedule. There will be no need for a trip to Beaumont (Texas), after all.